Chigee / Carpuride Carplay systems for motorcycles - experience?

[David MP]

I'm currently a very happy Gold user of MyRoute App Routeplanner; typically using it to create routes which I then download to my Garmin Nav V GPS device for use on my motorbike. However I've recently become aware of these newish Apple Carplay devices for bikes from Chigee and Carpuride - on the face of it they look fantastic and a huge step up from what I'm currently using.

I'd love to hear from anyone who's made the transition. In particular I'm curious about which system is best (is the Chigee worth the extra money?) and also about actual navigation software, which I currently don't use. I imagine that MRA Navigation Next has to be a prime contender for me - is anyone using that on one of these Carplay systems? Thanks!

[HighPeakRider]

I got rid of my Zumo XT for a 5” Carpuride.
Best thing i’ve put on my bike, I like to listen to Apple music while riding which was a pain with Garmin.

So, iphone is safe in my pocket, the whole interface is now the Carpuride.
More navigation options, texts get read to me , easy the change music, can use siri, no stopping to get phone out to change settings. If I stop routing and music just starts again.

Not sure which is best but so far i’m very pleased with mine, but I guess it all depends if you just want carplay or things like cameras, blindside monitoring etc.

Oh and no transferring route or playing with files it’s all on MyRouteApp…….

Downside, they are a dumb unit and require your phone to work, however the power usage seems small, I have a quad lock mount on the bike and carry a case and usb cable under the seat just in case the phone runs out of power and i need to charge it.

[Stephen Rowland]

I have the Chigee and find it really good for all the same reasons that HighPeakRider likes his (or her) Carpuride. No idea which might be better. I have the phone on the bars as well as the chigee in good weather as I like to be able to click between distance/time to next waypoint and d/t to end which I can't do on Carplay. However, if weather is wet then the phone goes under cover with the screen off and the Chigee display is still very good. It seems to handle calls and music and podcasts very well. If I'm just riding locally I'll use Apple or Google maps which also work very well. My TomTom is now properly redundant

[AWDC LAO]

I am very happy with my Carpe Iter V4 from the Czech Republic because the screen is much larger. It only works under Android though and I only have Apple devices outside of that. No problem the most important thing is that first MRA works on it, then RouteYou, Waze, etc ....
Carpe Iter V4 is European very vstevig built, dual power supply, Chigee comes from China....
For Onroad these two devices are recommended, for Offraod I am still in doubt because I have not yet discovered the offroad software that is as good as Garmin's. This means that for offroad (tracks and trails) the XT2 has an edge for now.

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[David MP]

@Stephen-Rowland @HighPeakRider Thanks for the replies - very helpful and interesting. I guess I'm going to struggle getting opinions on which of these two devices is better simply because they are new and very few people will have any experience of both!

Can I ask, what iPhone nav software do you use? Is it the MRA Navigation? How does it compare to using a Garmin or TomTom satnav?

[AWDC LAO]

@David-P-0
I use most MRA-app ( Netherlands) and RouteYou ( Belgium ), Waze for car from A>B.

You have to make a distinction between the software and the devices. Garmin and TomTom's software for motorcyclists only runs on their devices. TT's software makes nicer routes than Garmin's. But with MRA-online you make them even nicer and can customise them at will. MRA app works on all iPhones, Samsungs and iPads, but the Carpe Iter is more robust, has better satellite connections and is tailor-made for motorbikes.
But if you are going purely offroad, the best device to use is the XT2 ZUMO as it has better track tracking capabilities. The track width is also adjustable.

The best underlying maps to build the routes on are TomTom, HERE or OSM. Switching between these three and comparing them gives the most guarantees that that everyone is riding the same route in a group. Updating devices, software and maps is obviously very important.

Onroad with MRA app on Carpe Iter, iPhone MAX, iPad or Samsung ( or Chigee )
Offroad rather on Zumo XT1 or XT2 in conjunction with MRA and RouteYou.

[Stephen Rowland]

@David-P-0 I use MRA for planning routes and riding them. For just A to B I use google or Apple Maps. My life is more simple I stick to tarmac so I don’t need rugged. I removed my BMW SatNav prep and wired the Chigee directly into the BMW socket and mounted it on the bar above the TFT screen. It makes a neat and good looking setup.

[Hoorens Geert]

@David-MP I have recently bought a Carpuride 702B (large screen) and so far I am extremely happy with it. Before and I am still using this too, I have a TomTom Rider Europe 550 and a Garmin Montana 750i. Both of them do the job very well as far as guidance is concerned. The Carpuride has a larger AND brighter screen, uses Apple CarPlay. I can use Waze - Google Maps - Apple Maps - MRA and so on. Connected through my Apple iPhoned 13 Pro is not a problem, iPhone sits in my pocket connected to my small battery pack MojoGear. Very happy!

[Thomas Schäfer]

@David-MP Hello,
First of all, I have to say that I have no personal experience with the devices mentioned, but I have dealt with them intensively in my circle of friends.

I only know the Android world and therefore can't say anything about the Apple universe. With Android, there are a number of restrictions on what is and isn't possible under Android Auto due to Google's strict specifications. This affects all the navigation apps I know, hence MRA. Many things can only be done on a smartphone and the Android Auto device is more or less a neutered device with a screen function.

I don't really care about listening to music or podcasts while riding my motorbike, but of course these are things that an old TomTom or Garmin can't do very well.

What I don't understand is, if you want the functionality of a smartphone, why don't you just get a rugged smartphone instead of this limited AndroidAuto emulation.

Rugged smartphones cost hardly any more than a Capuride, but offer the unrestricted Android world.
Friends have confirmed that it is similar in the Apple world.

This is not really an answer to the question posed by the topic starter, but rather a question about the purpose of these devices.

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[Lynchy67]

@David-MP

Personally I run an XT2 and Myroute-App together.
Works a treat, I can have as little or as much detail as i need.
I never use audible spoken instructions.
Prefer to just follow the lines visibly.

[Hubert Thoring]

@AWDC-LAO

Offroad = s. Guru Maps

[CD130]

@Hubert-Thoring Hopefully MRA will one day really be an all-rounder and therefore also for the off-road enthusiasts

[white.mouse.on.the.motorbike]

I was able to test MRA on a Carpuride W702 during my vacation in Norway in June. And this went perfectly. No problems at all on the road. My phone is a Samsung S10. Fortunately, my motorcycle has the option for continuous wireless charging. Otherwise it would have been a problem because the phone often ran out of power faster than the charger could charge it. But the Carpuride worked perfectly and the option to play music also worked fine. After returning I decided to buy one and I already use it on all my rides. I still have the BMW navigation and the Garmin XT but I don't actually use them anymore. So far I am very satisfied with the Carpuride!

Ik heb in juni tijdens mijn vakantie in Noorwegen MRA op een Carpuride W702 mogen testen. En dit is perfect gegaan. Onderweg geen enkel probleem gehad. Mijn telefoon is een Samsung S10. Gelukkig heeft mijn motorfiets de optie om continue draadloos op te laden. Anders was het wel een probleempje geworden want de telefoon liep vaak sneller leeg als de oplader hem bij kon laden.
Maar de Carpuride deed het perfect en ook de optie om muziek af te spelen werkte prima.
Na terugkomst heb ik dan ook besloten er eentje aan te schaffen en die gebruik ik nu al bij al mijn ritten. De aanwezige BMW navigatie en de Garmin XT heb ik nog wel maar gebruik ik feitelijk niet meer. Tot nu toe ben ik zeer tevreden met de Carpuride!

[Hubert Thoring]

@white-mouse-on-the-motorbike :

Unfortunately, this is not available for an iOS mobile phone system .... despite the announcement in the spring, it is still only possible for Android mobile phones to zoom with the handwheel and more

Leider gibt es das nicht für ein iOS Handy System …. trotz Ankündigung im Frühjahr ist es bis heute nur für Android Handys möglich mit dem Handrad zu Zoomen und mehr